But he had a plan.
The Tar Heels went 1-6 in dual meets this season. One of those losses came on Jan. 28 against Duke. It was the first dual meet loss to the Blue Devils in DeSelm’s career.
Still, DeSelm knew the disappointment would make his team stronger, and they would benefit when it really matters: the NCAA Championships.
He was right.
The Tar Heel women’s team finished 17th, its best finish since 2013. Three team members reached All-American status for the Tar Heels, and four more were All-America honorable mentions for North Carolina.
Hellen Moffitt finished second in the 100-yard butterfly and eighth in the 100-yard backstroke, becoming the first Tar Heel to earn All-American honors in both events since 1981.
“I have been swimming both of these events on the same day since I was a freshman,” Moffitt said. “I’ve never done that well in both, so being able to do that as a senior was really cool, and it was really exciting to see that hard work pay off.”
The grind planned in DeSelm’s schedule certainly left the Tar Heels well prepared. The NCAA Championships are always the biggest test of the season, and this year was especially challenging.